Her freedom
by JulietteJoyce
Summary: Let's imagine Romeo and Juliet don't die. Let's imagine they survive. This could have been their future. Translation from my Spanish fic
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: This is the English translation for my Spanish story "La mujer más libre del mundo". I own none of this character nor the whole story of Romeo and his Juliet.

A/N: I would like to apologize if you can see any big and horrible mistake in spelling, vocabulary and/or grammar. My mother tongue is not English, and I'll try to do my best, but I would really appreciate if anyone corrects my errors. Thank you.

Enjoy it!!

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**_Her freedom -part I-_**

In a forest opening, where the full moon lights up the grass and the crickets and the wild animals sing and call each other, two wrapped shapes come into view. They reveal themselves. One of them is a long smooth faired-hair sweet-eyed girl, still pretty young and showing an apparent innocence. The other, an attractive rebellious similar-aged blond boy. It seems as though they have found the place they've been searching for a while, that simply perfect place in which they can protect themselves of who knows what.

Without pronouncing any word they sit next to a tree, their backs leant on the trunk, their hands enclosed. The boy breaths roughly, probably due to the stress piled up in that night and the nights before.

The girl, on the other hand, pretends a quietness that she doesn't really feel, but neither any of her pores, nor her gestures or her look, lost somewhere, deny her serenity.

The boy's hand tights hers harder and harder, as though he wants to make sure he's still there, as though he needs to stand out that "she's his". But a moment comes when the girl no longer puts up with the pressure on her hand and takes it away from the male clutches.

'What?'

'It's not necessary. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere without you.' She smiles. Although her eyes don't smile with her, he does not seem to appreciate it. She approaches him and her lips graze his cheek until she finds his lips. She kisses him softly while she tries to retrieve that happiness tickle she used to feel when she kissed him. But now she only feels a horrible embittered feeless. She kisses him rougher and more passionately while she caresses his hair.

But Juliet doesn't feel the same for his Romeo.

She realized something was wrong the moment they step out of the Capulet's mausoleum where she had been lying, dead for a while, and where Romeo almost killed himself. Fortunately, the girl woke up soon enough to rush into his poison bottle, which was about to be swallowed by the boy, and take it away from him.

But Juliet remember perfectly clear how, in a second thousandth, in that moment in which makes the difference, an estrange idea crossed her mind. What if she let him do it, let him drink it all… and so everything would be over. But the girl moved quickly or, more likely, her subconscious mind acted fast while her conscious mind was assimilating how come she had thought of that.

And everything started in that moment. Doubts emerge, though she continues following Romeo unconsciously, instinctively, first outside of the mausoleum, then, far from any place where they can be surrounded by anyone, and finally to that forest opening where they've ended.

And now Romeo lies down on the grass, his hands held upon his nape in a cushion way. His glare fixed on the dark night sky.

'We ain't gonna return to the city' he affirms 'we should go somewhere else, we can cross the forest and run away from here, but not to Mantua, any other place. France, or maybe Spain, what do you prefer?'

Juliet doesn't really care, actually. Hugging her legs, she disguisedly looks at her husband with resignation.

'Romeo, have you thought about how we're going to make a living?'

The boy stares at her, as though he has just realized she's there, that she does have doubts and, in fact, that she's scared. He smiles trying to transmit her a little bit of his confidence.

'And who cares about our living? Have you realized we're free, free to love and to stay with each other? Who cares if we don't have food or future plans right now. What does that matter if we can be together?'

"_But love doesn't nourish_" Juliet thinks. In fact, there has been a long time since her last proper meal, furthermore, the last thing she swallowed was that "deadly apparent" potion, and, of course, her stomach didn't endure with it very well.

But she decides to forget about it right now. Maybe tomorrow she'll see everything clearer. She straightens up, pulls towards the place where Romeo is to lie down next to him, and then she bens her head on his breast.

'Tomorrow we'll look for something, promise me we'll do it' Juliet whispers.

'Of course we will' Romeo plays with Juliet's blond hair while his eyes close slowly.

But Juliet can't sleep. While Romeo rests happily, curl up, the girl tries to lean on the right, and then on the left, tries to cover as much of her body as she can with that dress thought for defunct people that is anything but warm. She doesn't have any other cloth, or blanket, or anything that protects her from coldness.

And what if after all she has suffer, after all the family arguments, murders, revenges and plans she ends up dying of starvation and coldness in a lost forest?

What a sad ending, actually.


	2. Chapter 2

Juliet spends all nigh going back and forth from nightmares, consciousness and dreams in which she's lying in her home's bed, warm and soft.

On the next morning, Romeo wakes up like fresh air and willing to find the adventure, go through the forest and get closer to the paradise. He has everything decided; they'll go to live to Spain, thanks to the sun and the hot weather they'll live happy and with no worries. His Juliet is lying down next to one of the trees, deeply asleep since two hours ago, but Romeo doesn't know that. That's why he approaches her and moves her to wakes her up.

One of the things Romeo does not know about his Juliet is that she becomes extremely angry whenever someone wakes her up. And Romeo sifts her, pinches her, plays with Juliet's hair because Romeo is so impatient and restless that he wants to start their journey as soon as possible. Until the girl finally wakes up, moans loudly, takes her husband away from her and gets up, energetic and feeling everything but happiness.

They walk for several minutes both trying not to look at each other, no word coming out of their moths, either. The girl is annoyed for the tactlessly way in which Romeo waked her up, especially since she's so desperately willing to sleep and eat; the boy feels irritation because he doesn't understand what's wrong with Juliet and why she's suddenly so cross and behaves like a little pampered child.

They arrive to a bank river, next to a road where a fountain stands still. While Juliet runs like a possessed to stop her thirst, Romeo finds a tree with fruit on the surroundings. He climbs up the trunk to get the biggest and most beautiful – but also the tallest – apple in the tree, and he gives it kindly to Juliet. The girl, relaxed after drinking half of the fountain, sees Romeo approaching with a piece of fruit and her eyes start shining with happiness. She runs into his arms and kisses his neck, his cheeks, his lips, until she remembers she was actually angry at him. She must admit she has behaved like a little child.

'I'm sorry, Romeo. I was so desperately asleep and I was really starving… I was a bit silly with you…'

The boy accepts the apologies and can't stop smiling while he watches her eating the fruit like a happy little girl with a chocolate cake. But the food soon disappears, and the rest of the apples are either unreachable or already jam for worms. So they have no food left. Juliet, resigned, understands the apple is going to be her only proper food she's going to have.

Still sited, they look at each other. They're almost touching each other, but Romeo gets a bit closer till the distance disappears. They're both conscious that they just have had their first row, they first disagreement. And they also know that after this one many others will come. Romeo puts his hand on his girl's cheek while Juliet wonders if she would be able to stand the arguments that will come. Wonders if she really loves him. She shakes her hair to take that thought away and stands up, willing to continue the journey.

For days, they just keep on following the road. Romeo seems really convinced and decided that it is the way they should take, though Juliet doubts it a little bit. During the night, one thing keeps repeating; Romeo sleeps deeply while Juliet stays awake, eyes wide open. Eat… they don't eat that much. Apples, generally, sometimes a peach, and if they're really, really lucky, they can use a bird egg. At first, Juliet felt extremely reluctant to attack the poor baby birds and only eats those eggs that had felt on the floor, but little by little, the hunger is more powerful than the love towards animals and she surrenders to the necessity.

Some few nights after, Juliet is already used to not sleep. She doesn't try it, directly. She simply lays and pretends to be asleep every time Romeo gets near, so the moment he falls asleep, she stands up and sit down, or she lays with her back on the ground so she could see the stars.

What would be the story of Juliet Capulet if she had married Paris? She wouldn't be sleeping in the ground, or putting up with insolent bugs that climb to her legs and head, she wouldn't be cold or hungry, not so hungry to be obliged to attack baby birds to survive, that's for sure.

Maybe that old-fashioned aristocrat that her father liked so much wasn't as bad as she first thought. Maybe Juliet should have look deeper beyond Romeo's beauty. Because… what does it really matter in the deep of the forest that Romeo was the most handsome guy in Verona?

In the seventh day of the journey, they see that the path separates.

'This way' Romeo assures.

Juliet thinks deep about her husband's option and comes to the conclusion that, from her point of view, the other path is better.

'Are you sure?' She asks right in the moment when Romeo keeps closer to his chosen path. He stops to look at her. Was she really feeling unsure about him?

'Yes, it's this way'

'But, if we're heading towards Spain I think that we should go West so better this way, don't you think? Besides, this road looks clearer.'

'It's definitely this way' Romeo insists.

'You could let a little bit of room for error and think about it, at least'

'I simply know. I know how to get on my way, but you don't. And I _know_ it's this way'

'Oh, you do?' Juliet starts to get angry 'You know it _perfectly_, of course, since you've come so many times…'

'No, but I'm the one who says it's this way. And that's all'

_And here's Romeo the authoritarian_. Juliet thought, sadly. The happiness they first shared had finished in the last couple of days and it comes to a point where they simply keep walking next to one another without showing a little bit of interest towards the other.

They look at each other but it's not as before, when a simple look was enough for one of them to run to the other's arm and every bad problem got solved.

No.

Juliet doesn't know if Romeo feels the same way for her, but as far as she was concerned, she just follows him because she doesn't really have a way to go back, because she doesn't really know where they are and where Verona is. Between them there's only disdain now. Maybe there's still some companionship at some points, but never ever love, at least as far as Juliet is concerned. And it looks like Romeo doesn't feel the love at that moment.

'Maybe it's better to rest for today' now Juliet tries to solve it 'What about relaxing and we'll think about where to go tomorrow morning?'

'There's nothing to think about' Romeo is stubborn, knows he's right and can't really understand why Juliet simply wants to argue back.

'I don't wanna go that way, it's dark and it doesn't look well' Juliet sits down, arms stretched, she's prepared not to move because she doesn't want to take that path. She well knows she seems a spoiled little girl – actually she is exactly that – but there are certain limits she's not willing to cross.

But Romeo is far from his patience limits: he furiously leads towards the girl and shakes her. His anger grows and he grabs his wife's arm so hardly she's hurt. Romeo tries to take her while Juliet refuses to go with him. It's in that moment when the boy loses his nerves and starts to use his force. First, a smack on the head, later a push so hard Juliet falls over a tree. The girl hits her back against the tree trunk and falls, defeated, damaged and crying.

Romeo looks at himself, horrified. Oh my god, what happened to him? He didn't use to be that way. For sure he was not that way. Romeo, the one who falls in love easily, Romeo, the pacific guy who always pleaded for love between brothers, who even try the reconciliation between the Capulets and the Montegues while he himself tried to be friend with Tybalt. But deep inside he knew he had hate and grudge, as for the main example the murder of Juliet's cousin he had. But one thing was to kill the disgusting and hateful Tybalt… but another really different, was to hurt his sweet and beautiful Juliet, the love of his life.

The girl is now shivering from cold, anger and fear next to a tree truck. No way has she wanted him to get closer. He looks at her from the distance, with his eyes filled with sadness, trying to express how he feels, that it was not his intention. What else can he do now? He sits on the other side of the path, still looking at her. Juliet curls up, covers herself as best as she can and rests her head on the ground. She closes her eyes and keeps them closed for a long time, pretending to be asleep. And Romeo believes it because he stands up, willing to approach her, maybe to sleep next to her and forget everything that has happened. But maybe he thinks it better since he's standing still in the middle of the road, neither going forwards nor backwards. Juliet feels his glare stack in her and closes her eyes even more, eager not to open no matter what happens. After a while, eternal for Juliet, Romeo finally turns around and rests next to the far-away from-Juliet tree.

Juliet waits. And waits. She won't fall asleep, she knows that because she hasn't been able to ever since she is in the forest and because Romeo will fall much earlier. But she wants to be sure her husband is not pretending as well. An hour passes until Juliet decides to stop pretending. She rests her back against the cold ground and stares at the stars. And then, she turns to look at Romeo. He's lying with his face against the tree, his back to Juliet. His body moves rhythmically and slowly; he breaths like the way someone does when they're asleep. And Juliet is about to change the direction of her eyes right before something shinning keeps her attention. Something silvery comes out of the boy's pocket.

A dagger.

She doesn't really know what the thing that motivates her moves is, but Juliet stands up in a rush, and she bends down next to Romeo and she kindly approaches one of her hands to the boy's pocket. With a quick but silent movement she takes the dagger out of his pocket and looks at it, closely.

But Romeo's sleep is not as deep as Juliet believed since he notices her movements and turns to her, realises it's her, looks at her. He smiles, probably she just came to apologise, she knows he didn't mean it, and now everything can be solved, a smile, a forgiveness, a 'I love you'. Romeo is about to touch her cheek kindly when he notices that Juliet is holding something. And what a horrible surprise when he finds out that it's precisely the dagger, _his_ dagger, the dagger Romeo always carries.

What is Juliet doing with it?

Suddenly everything happens too quickly. Romeo stands up impetuously, scared, and he approaches his hand towards the dagger, towards Juliet while he tries to take it away from her struggling for not looking like he's being violent. But the girl is not willing to surrender, she does not want to let Romeo attack her again. She doesn't want to become his victim and that's why, with several quick and stealthy movements she stabs Romeo's shoulder.

And Romeo is scared, it hurts, he cannot thinks clearly and the only think he can come up with is rush towards the dagger and fight over Juliet to save himself, to protect himself. But Juliet misinterpreted those movements as more attacks and therefore she counterattacks. She stabs him over and over again, in his shoulder, in his chest, in his heart.

Suddenly Romeo loses his strength, he cannot even keep sat. He's then lying on the grass, his blood is covering the lawn nearby in red. It hurts, it hurts a lot, he is not able to breath, he cannot think. He's not capable enough to believe that his dearest love has injured him. Dying, with his last sigh on his mouth, he just stares at Juliet. With his eyes he tries to spread to her his sadness, his pain, his bitterness and his confusion.

The girl is paralysed. She still keeps the dagger in her hand, although she does not know what to do with it, now that Romeo can't even raise his arm to try to catch it. The only thing she now can do is to look horrified what she's just done, how everything is now covered in blood, how Romeo is about to pass away.

And right in that moment she realizes what she's done.

She throws herself to his side, knowing deep inside how her adoration is now produced by the terror of losing the only known and loved person in many miles around. A love she only feels know that she understands that she's losing him. Leaned on his side, she caresses his cheek, his hair, she kisses his forehead. But Romeo is not breathing; he cannot feel her efforts for him now. Romeo lays dead in Juliet's arms.

And that was the meaning they understood for the word love, naïve couple were they. From love anyone can live, they thought. From love anyone can nourish, breath, be protected from coldness and hotness and fear. Well, that was why Romeo ended up that way, for blindly believing in the brand-new love.

A startled silence makes the widow unable to breathe while she looks, sadly and scared, what she's done.

But something inside her reminds her that Romeo had hit her. That Romeo was the owner of the dagger and she didn't know about it before. That her husband wasn't as fantastic as she thought and definitely that last week was not the happiest in Juliet's life.

Juliet, sited in the grass and half-embraced to his dead husband's body, realizes she's just now with herself, no one else. But she's free. Who prevents her from going back to Verona? Maybe the tiny and innocent fact that all her family and half of the city believe she's dead. But, who stops her to start a new road and begin a new life on her own? Now she can decide by herself, and she has no one to do that job for her the way she used to have it all her previous life; first, her father, then, Romeo. Or, if it wasn't Romeo, it would have been Paris, who cares.

She lifts up, lightly reeling. She rests on the place where she used to pretend to be asleep, but this time she feels her eyelids falling. Maybe that was it, so much concern, so much manipulation avoid Juliet's sleep.

Leaned back on the grass she thinks and smiles. And she feels lucky, after all. Yes, there is a corpse – killed by her – just on the other side of the road. But in that moment nothing and no one can change the fact that Juliet has just won freedom for her.


End file.
